A new feasibility study is considering the benefits of replacing a major South Australian coal power station with a field of mirrors focused on a single tower.

Alinta Energy is looking at options to redevelop Port Augusta's coal-fired power station, and the company says a stand-alone solar-thermal power plant is a legitimate option.

Such a site would be welcomed by locals, who have rejected a previous plan to build a combination solar and coal plant.

Solar thermal plants focus a large array of mirrors to super-heat a single point at the top of a tower, the heat from which is used to generate steam and turn turbines just a like a traditional coal plant.

Australian scientists at CSIRO recently broke the world record for the highest temperature and pressure ever achieved for energy generation outside of fossil fuel sources.

In Port Augusta, Mayor Sam Johnson says a large-scale solar-thermal plant would be a “visionary” piece of progress for the region.

Hhe told the ABC he is concerned about what can be done as a local coal deposit nears its end.

“What we all seem to be forgetting is Leigh Creek has an effective lifespan to about 2027 so we've effectively got 13 years left of coal production in South Australia and then what do we have?” he said.

“We have effectively one industry that is going to leave the South Australian economy and we're not really planning to replace it.”

The Alinta Energy feasibility report is available in PDF form, here.